Annually in the United States, over 70 million corn acres are planted by approximately 40,000 growers, resulting in over 12 billion bushels of corn harvested annually, which, in-turn, translates into annual revenues in excess of $20 billion. Many growers recognize that one of the most influential and controllable factors affecting the productivity of each acre planted is the quality of seed placement. If a grower can be provided with more information earlier about seed placement quality while planting, the grower will be able to make earlier corrections or adjustments to the planter or its operation which could increase production by three to nine bushels per acre, which at today's prices translates into an additional $9.00 to $27.00 of additional income per acre at no cost. The net gain to growers and the US economy from such production increases would amount to hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
Although existing monitors may warn the planter operator about certain “yield-robbing events,” many operators simply ignore the warnings or delay making any corrections or adjustments until it is convenient for the operator to do so (such as at the end of the field or when refilling the hoppers, etc.). The lack of motivation to take immediate corrective action may be due to the operator not knowing or not fully appreciating the extent of economic loss caused by the yield robbing event. Another possibility may be that because most existing planter monitors provide only broad averages across the entire planter in terms of seeds per acre or singulation percentage, the operator may not know that a particular row is suffering from a yield robbing event if the overall average population or singulation appears to be inline with the target or desired values.
“Yield-robbing events” are generally caused by one of two types of errors, namely, metering errors and placement errors. Metering errors occur when, instead of seeds being discharged one at a time, either multiple seeds are discharged from the meter simultaneously (typically referred to as “multiplies” or “doubles”), or when no seed is discharged from the meter when one should have been (typically referred to as a “skip”). It should be appreciated that seed multiples and seed skips will result in a net loss in yield when compared to seeds planted with proper spacing because closely spaced plants will produce smaller ears due to competition for water and nutrients. Similarly, seed skips will result in a net loss in yield even though adjacent plants will typically produce larger ears as a result of less competition for water and nutrients due to the missing plant.
Placement errors occur when the travel time between sequentially released seeds is irregular or inconsistent as compared to the time interval when the seeds were discharged from the seed meter, thereby resulting in irregular spacing between adjacent seeds in the furrow. Placement errors typically result from seed ricochet within the seed tube caused by the seed not entering the seed tube at the proper location, or by irregularities or obstructions along the path of the seed within the seed tube, or due to excessive vertical accelerations of the row unit as the planter traverses the field.
Beyond metering errors and placement errors, another yield robbing event is attributable to inappropriate soil compaction adjacent to the seed, either due to inadequate down pressure exerted by the gauge wheels on the surrounding soil or excessive down pressure exerted by the gauge wheels. As discussed more thoroughly in commonly owned, co-pending PCT Application No. PCT/US08/50427, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, if too little downforce is exerted by the gauge wheels or other depth regulating member, the disk blades may not penetrate into the soil to the full desired depth and/or the soil may collapse into the furrow as the seeds are being deposited resulting in irregular seed depth. However, if excessive down force is applied, poor root penetration may result in weaker stands and which may place the crops under unnecessary stress during dry conditions. Excessive downforce may also result in the re-opening of the furrow affecting germination or causing seedling death.
While some experienced operators may be able to identify certain types of corrective actions needed to minimize or reduce particular types of yield robbing events once properly advised of their occurrence and their economic impact, other operators may not be able to so readily identify the type of corrective actions required, particularly those with less planting experience generally, or when the operator has switched to a new make or model planter.
Accordingly, there is a need for a monitor system and method that is capable of providing the operator with near real-time data concerning yield robbing events and the economic cost associated with such yield robbing events so as to motivate the operator to take prompt corrective action.